Exposing Satanism and Democrats [1]by Kerr Cuhulain
The web site that I'm about to tell you about normally bears the title Exposing Satanism and Witchcraft. However with the upcoming 2004 Federal election in the US the creators of this web site have added their commentary on Democratic candidate John Kerry and renamed the site "Exposing Satanism and Democrats". I won't bore you with their political comments in this article. You can check them out for yourself at: http://www.exposingsatanism.org/witchcraft.htm

The Exposing Satanism and Witchcraft web site was created 1 February 1999 by Jon Watkins in Texas City. The web design and hosting of Exposing Satanism and Witchcraft is the work of Watkin's Online Ministries (http://www.online-ministries.org/). As you will soon see, one of the principle characteristics of this web site is its poor grammar and worse spelling.

On the left side of the title caption one finds the symbol of the Church of Satan (an inverted pentagram with a goat's head surrounded by Hebrew letters spelling the name Leviathan). On the other side one finds a pentagram with the word "witchcraft" superimposed. As is typical with such sites, anything not Christian is classified as a false religion. The New Age Movement page on this site[1] describes the New Age movement as "the most deceptive and damaging philosophy around today. It is entwined not only in witchcraft and satanism, it is prevalent in all denominations of what the world calls Christianity.The belief system is deeply rooted in Eastern Mysticism and the Occult. Followers are told to awaken their God consciousness thru [sic] Transcendental Meditation, Yoga, Hypnosis, visualization etc.. What most do not understand is, this is the same thing Satan said in the garden of Eden to Eve. "You will be as Gods" (Genesis 3:4,5). No one is a god. To think so puts you on the list of those going to hell. Big ole fat Buddha was demon possessed. Hinduism, Taoism and all the eastern philosophies are a result of demons talking to those who would allow them to."[2] The Exposing Satanism and Witchcraft site's list of "False Religions" includes Catholics, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and Scientology, Taoists, the "Feminist Movement", and (curiously) Democratic Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards.[3]

The Exposing Satanism and Witchcraft site has a lot to say about Witchcraft. It includes a "Witchcraft in Church" link that wasn't functioning, so I couldn't discover what Watkins had to say about that. Watkins admits that the stereotypical images of ugly witches do not accurately depict the modern Wiccan. What Watkins does present doesn't resemble Wiccans either though. Watkins starts by saying that "many of these so-called witches are very beautiful and some are as young as 10 years old, or so they have told me. I have had mail from young ladies who say they have been practicing "the craft", since the age of 10."[4] Watkins doesn't identify any of these young ladies. Watkins goes on to claim that unnamed "Investigators say the more then [sic] half of the world's population believes that witches are real and can influence the lives of others with spells and curses."[5] Clearly the creator of this Exposing Satanism site is in this category.

The creators of the Exposing Satanism and Witchcraft site complain that "Witchcraft has donned a new mask of respect in many places. Books, Movies and Television have played a tremendous role in the acceptance and the reduction of fear. Hollywood is making the witches more appealing to a very large and easily influenced audience. Witchcraft is one of the fastest growing spiritual movements in the country. Many are the young girls and teens described above [sic]. It is inspired by the feminist movement, which is part of the New age Movement. Many seek fulfillment in the various forms of the Craft. There are so many forms of Witchcraft that the practitioners disagree on what a witch is. Most do agree with the dictionary's definition. A religion influenced by pre-Christian beliefs and practices of western Europe that affirms the existence of supernatural power (as magic) and of both male and female deities who inhere in nature, and that emphasizes ritual observance of seasonal and life cycles. (Webster's) Many simply refer to themselves asPagans or Neo-Pagans. Throughout history; witches have been hated, persecuted, tortured and even killed as many willingly point out. It is no wonder they want to change and improve the image."[6] This is all true. They then state that "Anyone who hates a person is wrong, period."[7] Can't argue with that. Yet they then go on to complain that "Witchcraft is becoming more widely accepted, even by those in the church. Many do not know what the bible says about it and don't care. This should be an alarm sounding loudly to and from the pulpit's across the country. But it isn't." This is followed by a photo of two women in street clothes dancing around a fire with the caption "Calling up Demons".

Watkins then gives us a brief and very general description of Wiccan practices. He correctly points out that "Many are upset that Witchcraft and Paganism are listedwith and considered the same as Satanism. They will tell you it is not at all Satanism. They are both completely different. Witchcraft and Paganism are earth religions, and they don't worship any 'evil' deities."[8] "Their spells are not little conjurations cooked up in a cauldron with toads and the like,"[9] they tell us. True again. Yet the creator of the Exposing Satanism and Witchcraft site then claims "Their law 'and ye harm none, do what thou wilt,' (the same as the satanists), Which means they can do whatever we like as long as it does not harm anyone including themselves [sic]."[10]This is, of course, a reference to the Wiccan Rede, which is not recognized by the Satanists.

Watkins points out that Wiccans "worship a goddess and a god" and correctly points out that Wiccans may use "any number of mythological deities from other cultures to represent a certain emotional or human trait."[11] Watkins then points out that his Bible prohibits this, citing Exodus 20:1-5 ("I am the LORD thy God... Thou shalt have no other gods before me... Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me"). This doesn't seem to fit with their earlier claim that one should not hate anyone. This sounds pretty hateful to me.

The next section begins with a picture of a Wiccan altar with the caption "What About Spell Casting and Magic?" "There are many rouge Witches and some forms of Island Witchcraft do put hexes and spells on people to bring about sickness and even death," Watkins claims, though he qualifies this by going on to say that "the majority of those practicing Witchcraft do not do such spells and curses. They try to live by the above law, 'harm no one'"[12] "Rouge Witches" and "Island Witchcraft" are not explained in any way, but I'm guessing that Watkins is thinking of Afro Caribbean religions, specifically Vodou, when hey says this. There have been urban legends in circulation for years concerning "rouge Vodou" sects that perform human sacrifices. Vodou practitioners do not perform human sacrifices and Vodou is an entirely different religion to Wicca.

Watkins claims that Wiccans do not do harmful spells as "what ever is sent out comes back seven fold." This is essentially correct, except that the Three Fold Law of Wicca says that your actions come back to you three times, not seven. From this Watkins takes a logical leap, quoting Galatians 6:7 and jumping to the conclusion "You sow Witchcraft; you reap the lake of fire! Spells put you in contact with the spirit world and that is what is in question. God says not to use divination, magic, sorcery or any other means ofspell casting or fortune telling. There are many scriptures in the Bible that confirm this."[13]

Watkins states that he understands that Wiccans do not acknowledge Satan and do not believe that he exists. "However, Gods word says that Satan does in fact exist and that he is the deceiver of the world," Watkins tells us, "... Calling on the spirit world will only bring up demons. There are no good spirits and they do not inhabit the elements. There are no gods or goddesses. There is a horned god and his name is not Pan. It is Lucifer. Aka Satan!"[14]

The next section bears the caption "Lets Look at the Most Common Practice... Wicca", which is accompanied by a picture of a group of robed Wiccans holding hands around a bonfire. This gives the reader a brief overview of the various traditions of Wicca and describes it as a Pagan religion. Having said this Watkins defines Witchcraft: "(definition according to encyclopedia) Exercise of supernatural powers through occult arts such asmagic, sorcery, and Satanism. Its origins lie in the belief in separate powers of good and evil in ancient pagan cults and in religions including GNOSTICISM."[15] Watkins does not identify the encyclopedia that he has used as his source. This is followed by definitions of Gnosticism and Shamans. Watkins then states: "Most Pagan's say all the above is older the [sic] Christianity and that Christianity adopted certain parts of paganism. While I will say their [sic] is truth that Witchcraft and these gods have been around before Jesus walked the earth, was crucified, and rose from the dead, It [sic] is not the oldest belief. There is nothing older or anything that can prove the Bible to be false. It is said that some women did not like what was being preached to them so they went out and started worshiping nature. I do not know if this is true, however that statement came from several practicing witches. Also in dealing with witches, I have had them tell me that their 'Spirit Guide' was instructing them to 'bow to Satan'."[16] Watkins doesn't identify the "witches" that allegedly told him this.

Watkins then adopts a position common to the others that I've told you about earlier in my Witch Hunts series: That Witchcraft is a rebellion against Christianity. "The bible teaches us that rebellion is as the sin of Witchcraft" Watkins tells us, "The serpent suggested to Eve that she ignore what God said, and to eat of the tree anyway. She did so in direct rebellion against God (Witchcraft) and the serpent who told her to do so had a part in that beginning of rebellion (Witchcraft), therefore Witchcraft did start in the garden of Eden at the behest of Satan. Secondly, the bible says if you fashion an idol for yourself to worship, and therefore worship any other gods but God, you are in Witchcraft. It goes on to say that if you think you are God, or place yourself equal with Him while saying in your heart there is no God, you are a fool, and in the sin of Witchcraft. The serpent told Eve to eat of the fruit because it would make her like God, she would know the same things as He does and would therefore be as good as He is. She rebelled against God, she tried to become equal with God, and she did so as instructed by Lucifer and in so doing was committing the sin of Witchcraft."[17] Watkins then goes on to tell the reader that whatever spirits Witches may call upon are demons: "You know that what you call on have powers to deliver what you ask for as long as you bow to that god, spirit or what ever you want to call it. However what you are blinded to is that these so-called gods or spirits are demons and Satan is there [sic] master."[18] Watkins then goes on to quote all of the "standard" Biblical sections that one sees on web sites of this sort (Deuteronomy 18:10 -11-12,Galatians 5:19 -21, 1st.Corinthians 6:9-10).

The Exposing Satanism and Witchcraft web site then makes the claim: "I find it most interesting that most, (but not all) people involved in Witchcraft are Bi-sexual,gay or lesbian. I can say this because of a survey that I did. Look at the gods that are worshiped and you will see most are connected to sex or fertility. What a better way to get someone to defile himself or herself. Just remember that when you call upon these deities, you are calling on the powers of Satan."[19] No details or statistics from this survey are presented to the reader. I don't believe that any census has ever been attempted to determine how many gays, bi-sexuals or lesbians there are in the Pagan community. Certainly they are numerous, and certainly accepted by the Neo-Pagan community. Based on my experiences I must say that gays, bi-sexuals and lesbians are a minority within the greater Pagan community, as they are in society. Most Wiccans are heterosexual. Clearly Watkins is homophobic and is hoping that the reader is too.

No site of this sort would be complete without a section full of misinformation about Halloween, and this one is no exception. Watkins correctly identifies Halloween as originating in the Celtic New Year (Samhain), but he makes the common mistake of claiming that it was named for "Samhain the so called 'lord of death'. It was a Druidical belief that on the eve of this festival Samhain, lord of death, called together the wicked spirits that within the past 12 months had been condemned to inhabit the bodies of animals."[20] The Celtic God of death was Gwynn ap Nudd for the British, Bile or Donn for the Irish and Beli or Arawn for the Welsh, not Samhain. It is likely that this idea that Samhain was the Celtic God of the Dead was taken from Ray Bradbury's short story "Halloween Tree", which he wrote in 1973. In it he creates a God of death named Samhain. Bradbury demonstrates in this book that he actually does have a grasp of what the Samhain festival represented to the ancient Celts, but he has obviously named this character after the festival, rather than the other way around.

The Exposing Satanism and Witchcraft site correctly points out that Wiccans believe that Samhain is the night when the spirits of dear departed relatives return to celebrate with us. Watkins incorrectly informs the reader that "Sacrifices were offered on this night to the dead spirits because it was thought they visited their earthly dwellings and former friends."[21] Watkins suggests that if these spirits are not propitiated, then they create havoc for the celebrants and "cast an evil spell on you."[22] Watkins then contradicts his earlier statement about Wiccans not recognizing Satan: "In modern day Satanism and Witchcraft covens, this is the day when Satan himself comes to 'fellowship' with his followers. Many changes have occurred over the centuries, but one thing ha [sic] stayed the same, the practice of giving an 'offering' has stayed the same."[23] Satanists don't call their groups covens. Wiccans don't perform sacrifices or make offerings to Satan.

Watkins next includes a section with the caption "The Christian Connection, in which he brings up another issue that you'll recognize from earlier installments of my Witch Hunts series: The Catholic connection. Watkins points out how the Catholic celebration of All Saints Day was moved to coincide with Samhain in the 7th century. "Thus, without forcing the pagans to drop their pagan practices and accept Christianity," Watkins complains, "the Roman Catholic church merely made room to accommodate the barbarians. Just as it confiscated the pagan Pantheon for its own uses, this church incorporated the customs of Samhain to further its mission to convert the known world to Catholicism."[24] Of course Watkins is obviously trying to "convert the known world" too.

"Where do Witches, Black cats and Jack-O-Lanterns fit in?" Watkins asks us. He correctly points out that in Europe the Jack O'Lantern is often made from a turnip, beet, potato or rutabaga. Watkins claims that Europeans even use a "skull with a candle in it."[25] He goes on to claim that "The fearsome face of the jack-o-lantern was representative of the god of the dead, Shamin [sic], who would drive off less powerful evil spirits abroad that night. As glimmering lights flickered over an English marsh or an Irish bog, people imagined dead souls had returned to earth. They would place the jack-o-lantern on posts and in windows to ward off the spirits of the dead on Halloween."[26] In fact these lanterns were intended to help the spirits of the departed find their relatives, not to drive them away. There's that nonsense about "Samhain the Lord of the Dead" again.

Location: Surrey, British ColumbiaWebsite: http://www.officersofavalon.comBio: Kerr Cuhulain the author of this article, is known to the mundane world as Detective Constable Charles Ennis. Ennis, a former child abuse investigator, is the author of several articles on child abuse investigation that appeared in Law & Order Magazine. Better known to the Pagan community by his Wiccan name, Kerr Cuhulain, Ennis was the first Wiccan police officer to go public about his beliefs 28 years ago. Kerr is now the Preceptor General of Officers of Avalon. Kerr went on to write four books: The Law Enforcement Guide to Wicca (Horned Owl Publishing), Wiccan Warrior and Full Contact Magick: A Book of Shadows for the Wiccan Warrior. (Llewellyn Publications), as well as a book based on this series: Witch Hunts: Out of the Broom Closet (Spiral Publishing).

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